In conventional printers, the maximum speed of a carriage-mounted, reciprocating printhead has been fixed by the distance available for the printhead to accelerate from either lateral stop to the near edge of the virtual image that is printable. For example, if the printer provides 0.5 inch for the printhead to accelerate, and if the maximum acceleration provided by the carriage motor is 100 inches/second.sup.2, then the top speed attainable by the printhead is 10 inches/second (ips). In order to increase printhead speed--and thus printed matter throughput-the carriage motor could provide more torque and acceleration, or the printer could provide more widely spaced stops, and thus wider margins, from which the printhead may accelerate to a higher top speed, or both. Either would be costly; both might be prohibitive.